Research
Our research is characterised by the development and use of novel experimental and theoretical techniques and original ideas to study information processing in the sensory-neural circuits of flies. We have the expertise both to build innovative analytical methods and instruments and then exploit them scientifically, a unique and powerful combination.
Little is known about how the world is represented as brain activity patterns at cellular resolution, and how these patterns are updated, stored and recalled during learning and behaviour. Addressing these questions will lead to a real mechanistic understanding of how perception, memory and mind emerge from collective neural activity.
Theory of morphodynamic information processing: linking sensing to behaviour
The traditional understanding of brain function has predominantly focused on chemical and electrical processes. However, new research in fruit fly (Drosophila) binocular vision reveals ultrafast photomechanical photoreceptor movements significantly enhance information processing, thereby impacting a fly's perception of its environment and behaviour. The coding advantages resulting from these mechanical processes suggest that similar physical motion-based coding strategies may affect neural communication ubiquitously. The theory of neural morphodynamics proposes that rapid biomechanical movements and microstructural changes at the level of neurons and synapses enhance the speed and efficiency of sensory information processing, intrinsic thoughts, and actions by regulating neural information in a phasic manner. Using insects as model systems, we are currently studying how morphodynamic information processing drives predictive coding, synchronising cognitive processes across neural networks to match the behavioural demands at hand effectively.
Funding
Our work has been funded by research grants and/or fellowships from: BBSRC; BBSRC/NSF; EPSRC; The Royal Society; The Leverhulme Trust; Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation; Gatsby Charitable Foundation; The Academy of Finland; The Wellcome Trust; The University of Sheffield; ESRF (EU); DESY (Germany); National Science Foundation of China; National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing, China.